


SS Endurance Week- Day 3: Wooing

by sasha272



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Friendship/Love, Humor, fight me, they're gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 14:54:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14046705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasha272/pseuds/sasha272
Summary: Flirting had always been easy for Sam, a couple of compliments, a few lingering touches and some deliberate lip biting and that was it, she knew she wouldn’t go home alone, no matter if it was with a man or a woman. They never stayed, but she never really cared, at least until now. Yes flirting was easy, but wooing your oblivious nerdy best friend to make her understand your feelings? Not so much.





	SS Endurance Week- Day 3: Wooing

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I don’t own Tomb Raider or anything related to it, if I did Lara would be gay and married to Sam.
> 
> A/N: Set during Uni. First time writing this pairing so bear with me. I’m trying to go back to writing so I hope you’ll like my characterization. English isn't my mother tongue.
> 
> Written for SS Endurance Week 2018: It’s a mix of wooing, inappropriate flirting and jealousy I guess.  
> This year we are writing to promote the Save Our Sam group, which is fighting to bring Sam back in Lara’s life. Check us on twitter (@BringSamNback), tumblr (savesamnishimura) or site (savesamnishimura.mywebcommunity.org).

Flirting had always been easy for Sam, a couple of compliments, a few lingering touches and some deliberate lip biting and that was it, she knew she wouldn’t go home alone, no matter if it was with a man or a woman. They never stayed, but she never really cared, at least until now. Yes flirting was easy, but wooing your oblivious nerdy best friend to make her understand your feelings? Not so much.

Sam had tried to confess her feelings to Lara quite a few times now, but every time, she would chicken out, afraid of what would happen if Lara didn’t feel the same way. There were signs, she was sure of it, like how Lara always saved her the last Jaffa Cake even though she loved them so much, how Lara’s eyes had lingered on her breast a few times and her cheeks had turned red before she left the room in a hurry, how lately her kisses and hugs had lingered… So yes, there were signs but maybe it was just all in her head… As soon as that thought hit her, she would just deflate and backtrack, blabbering about how a good friend Lara was when all she wanted to say was ‘please be my girlfriend’, or ‘kiss me’ or even ‘you know, maybe along the way, we could get married’ and wow, she had to slow down. She didn’t want to mess it up, Lara was her best friend, the most important person in her life and she couldn’t lose her, she’d rather have her as a friend than not have her at all. She needed a plan, something to show Lara her true feelings and let her know how serious she was about this.

* * *

 

**First part of the plan: Investigate.**

Sam knew Lara better than anyone else, but she didn’t know her as someone’s lover. Since the day they met, Lara had barely showed interest in anyone. She would either blush at compliments, or just glare at men who tried too hard to hit on her, or Sam, for the matter.

Her gaydar had pinged soon after their first encounter and now, she was pretty sure Lara was gay but hadn’t realized it yet. Again, maybe it was just her mind hoping she could have a chance, which was ridiculous, even if Lara wasn’t straight, it didn't necessarily mean she had any interest in her. Still, she was ready to combust from keeping it all inside, she was a girl with no filter, she didn’t know how to do that and keeping things secret from her best friend was killing her.

The first part of her plan required her to be sneaky, asking innocently how Lara pictured the perfect date or the qualities she was looking for in a partner. She needed to know the type of things the trashy girly magazines she secretly loved – or not so secretly since Lara had mocked her often – asked in their quiz. That would be the perfect cover to find out what she wanted to know. On top of that, she had to know if the signs were real or just in her mind.

A few days later, Sam had bought a couple of magazines and was reading them on the couch, waiting for Lara to come back from her class. Five minutes later, Sam heard Lara enter the apartment and looked at the time, realizing her friend was back early. Lara dropped her things in her room and settled on the couch next to Sam with a loud sigh.

Concerned, Sam closed her magazine and asked. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Just knackered… Remember how I agreed to help this freshman girl in History because she begged me for help and I needed the money?” Lara questioned, waiting for Sam’s hum of agreement before continuing. “We were supposed to have our tutoring session today.”

“It didn’t last long if you’re already here.” Sam noted.

The English woman nodded. “She showed up hungover and without any of her work.”

“Did you put her in a corner Professor Croft?”

Lara grabbed the cushion at her left and threw it at her friend. “No! I asked her to go home but then she started crying.”

Sam frowned. Lara had never been the most comfortable around people crying. “What happened?”

“Apparently, she was shagging a bloke who was already in a relationship with someone and she discovered the truth last night.” Lara explained.

“Oh, poor girl.” Sam sympathized. “So what did you do?”

“It told her she was better off and I walked her home to make sure she got there okay.” Lara answered.

Of course she would. “Lara Croft, the knight in shining armor of the UCL girls!” Sam declared, chuckling at Lara’s blush, she was so adorable.

“I’m just trying to be helpful.” Lara shrugged nonchalantly. “Anyway, how was your day?”

Sam lay down and settled her head on Lara’s lap, it didn’t mean anything, they did it all the time. “It was boring…” Liar, she had been freaking out all day. “I came home from class and worked on some editing.” Liar, she made lists on how to confess her love to her friend. Lara started playing with her hair and she relaxed, it was now or never. She grabbed the magazine she had set on the coffee table but before she could say anything, Lara spoke.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me you bought more of those trashy magazines that call themselves feminist but tell women to lose weight so men will fancy them.” Lara growled.

“No!” Yes but it was for research. “These two aren’t so bad!” Sam defended.

“Mmmhh mmhhh” Lara hummed unconvinced.

Sam turned the pages and conveniently stopped at the test. “Look a quiz, we should do it!”

The Englishwoman shook her head. “No way!”

“It could be fun!”

Lara rolled her eyes. “For you maybe.”

“Come on, sweetie,” Sam smiled sweetly. “We’ll just laugh at how ridiculous it is.”

“Then if it’s so ridiculous better not do it at all!” Lara argued.

“Please.” Sam pouted, her magic weapon to make Lara cave. She tried not to use it too often but she knew Lara had a hard time telling her no.

Lara let out a painful sigh. “Urgh fine, but just one, I have work to do after.”

“Yes!” Sam focused on the magazine and read the title aloud. “What are you looking for in a man?”

“I thought you said it wasn’t so bad?” Lara groaned.

“I can replace it with ‘in a person’ if it makes it easier.” Sam replied without missing a beat before mentally face-palming herself, it wasn’t the smoothest attempt to get information.

Lara tensed, her hands pausing briefly in Sam’s hair before resuming the movement. “Let’s just get this over with, please.”

Sam took note of Lara’s reaction and put it on her ‘Lara might not be so straight’ list. She started reading again. “Who is your ideal person?” She cleared her throat with fake seriousness, as if she was reading an article about the state of the economy. “Does physical fitness matter to you?” She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. She wanted answers but it didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun flustering Lara at the same time.

“Sam!” Lara smacked her with a pillow again. “You have such a dirty mind!” She put the pillow back in its place and started playing with her friend’s hair again.

“Please, it’s not a quiz about what type of eyeshadow you need, of course there are double entendres!”

“You’re impossible!” The Englishwoman declared.

“And yet I’m your best friend and you love me.” Sam smiled cheekily.

Lara chuckled. “I’m afraid I do.”

Sam’s breath hitched, oh how she wished this ‘I love you’ had another meaning… She cleared her throat again. “There are 3 answers, 1: yes, I want them to have a six pack; 2: yes a minimum, I want someone who can follow me or 3: as long as they can sit next to me and cuddle…” She frowned at the magazine. “Okay so they’re doing a bit of body shaming I guess, but just focus on the big thing here.”

Lara raised an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“You’re sporty, do you want a partner who is like you?” Sam questioned.

“Well I don’t care if they have a six pack, but it would be nice to have someone who can follow me and go on runs and hike with me…” Lara scratched her neck. “Hum, a bit like you…”

Did Lara just… Okay, so Sam had another point for ‘Lara might not be straight’ and by how red-ish her friend’s ears were, one for the ‘Lara might be into me too’ column. “Same for me. I mean, I wouldn’t mind someone able to carry me bridal style but…”

Lara snorted. “Princess.”

“Well I told you I was the descendant of a Japanese Queen, I think it’s fitting.” Sam joked before reading the next question. “What’s more important for you? Charm, Intelligence or kindness.”

Lara frowned. “I don’t think these qualities are exclusive, why not all three?”

“Because it’s not how it works in those quizzes, so choose one!” Why did Lara have to be so practical all the time?

“Fine, if I must,” Lara rolled her eyes. “I would say kindness. I mean I want someone who can have an intellectual conversation with me but I wouldn’t judge them for not knowing everything. However I would have a problem if they were awful to people…”

“You’re the cutest!” Oops she said that out loud. Sam laughed nervously. She said it a lot before but now it was like, a new other meaning.

“I… Hum…” The English woman cleared her throat. “Thanks.”

“Oookkaayy, next…” Sam rushed.

“How many questions are there? Did you ghostwrite this?” Lara asked. “Is that why you’re so adamant for me to take it?”

“You’ll see and no, I just want to spend some time with my best friend, am I not allowed?”

Lara gave her a soft smile. “Of course you are. I’m sorry, keep going.”

“So next: what’s your favorite activity? Hiking, watching a movie or going to a concert?” This one was easy but Sam couldn’t skip it or it would look suspicious.

“Hiking of course.” The Englishwoman replied. “Although it’s always nice to have company, then come home and watch a movie.”

“So once again, kinda like what we do as friends…” Sam trailed off.

Lara shrugged. “I suppose yes.”

“Cool cool cool…Same…” Score! 3 to 3 so far. Sam fit Lara’s vision of a good partner. She felt ecstatic but she needed to stay chill. She kept reading as Lara slowly let loose and laughed with her about how stupid some questions were. The more she heard, the more she felt like she had a chance. “Okay so last one: What is more likely to sweep you off your feet? Weekend getaway, a cooked meal with a romantic dinner, a beautiful gift?”

“I don’t need gifts, a nice dinner sounds good but not everyone knows how to cook, it wouldn’t be fair of me to expect a four course meal when I can only cook the basics.” Lara paused. “So I guess it would be a weekend getaway.”

Good thing Sam didn’t have to be a good cook or she would have had to take private classes with a chef before setting her plan into motion. A weekend getaway, she could do, they did it all the time. “Okay so your ideal partner is an Activist. You are interested in the world around you and fascinated by current events. You desire a partner who shares these interests. You are drawn to people who have incredible self-confidence and can inspire others to follow them.” Okay so once again, she could fit there. She was confident and interested in the world, so she guessed it was close enough… Sam was deep in thought until she felt a hand on her cheek. “What?” She blinked.

“I said thank you, I needed this to relax.” Lara repeated.

“You’re welcome sweetie, I’m always happy to help.” Sam sat up. “I’ll order something in a bit, go to your den and read one of your dusty books; I’ll call you when dinner’s here.”

Lara chuckled. “If they could hear you…”

“I would tell them to give my friend a break now and then.” Sam kissed Lara’s cheek, maybe a bit closer to her mouth than usual, but she felt good after this little quiz. ”Chinese okay?” She started walking toward the kitchen but turned around just in time to see Lara brush her finger on her cheek with a lost look in her eyes. “Lara?” She hoped in her excitement, she hadn’t scared her off.

“Hum, yes, Chinese sounds good.” Lara replied absentmindedly.

Sam smiled to herself. Now that she had all the information she needed, it was time to set part two of her plan into motion.

* * *

 

**Part 2: Let the wooing begin**

Sam knew she couldn’t just organize a getaway weekend and blurt out her feelings like that, she needed to woo Lara slowly until it was time for their trip and her big reveal.

She couldn’t really pinpoint when she started having feelings for her best friend, she guessed it had happened slowly. What she did know was the moment she realized she was in love. It was cliché, she was aware of that but it was true. She was having dinner with Lara who was animatedly talking about something she had learned in class that day, her face was so bright from the joy of sharing her passion about history and bam, that was when it hit her, that was her ‘holy shit I’m in love with this nerd and not in a sisterly way’ moment.

She had fought it at first but she quickly realized it was pointless, seriously, how can you not fall in love with Lara Croft?

Sam had booked a weekend in a medieval town, in the South West of England. At first she had thought about going somewhere in Europe but her fear of things going downhill forced her to choose a closer location if Lara needed some distance… Lara had agreed to clear a schedule for that date, although not without a lot of questioning but when she realized she wouldn’t get more information on the destination, she gave up and called her boss at Nine bells to change her shifts. Now she had two weeks to be the perfect girlfriend material, Lara didn’t stand a chance.

 

Dinner and a movie

Sam knew it was a classic and they had done it so many times, but it was always nice. Besides, she was just warming up.

This time, she had asked Lara to dress up and they went to a fancy place. Lara had been surprised by her choice of restaurant but she quickly played along.

When they arrived at the restaurant arm in arm, the hostess asked Sam and her girlfriend to follow her to their table. If Lara was bothered by the term, she didn’t show it. To be fair, most of the people in their classes thought they were a thing, so after a while, they got used to it.

To Sam’s surprise and delight, Lara had pulled out her chair before sitting opposite her. Who said chivalry was dead? It was definitely another good point on her list.

“So…” Lara cleared her throat. “Is there any particular reason for this choice of restaurant? Did I forget something?”

“Like what? Our anniversary?” Sam joked. God, how she wished it was true.

Lara shrugged, grabbing her napkin and setting it on her lap. “We met during first semester so I don’t think it’s related to our first encounter. Did you win a contest I wasn’t aware of?”

“Lara Croft, you cute little thing.” Sam giggled. “I don’t think we ever celebrated that before, but if you’re up for it, I’ll keep it in mind.” She smiled before continuing. “No, I just thought it would be a nice change of scenery. We had a lot of work this week; we need to treat ourselves.”

Lara snorted. “You never needed an excuse to treat yourself before.”

Sam laughed. “Touché.” She look at the menu. “So what are you in a mood for? I heard their Tiramisu is to die for.”

“Mhh…” Lara looked at the menu and frowned. “I think I’ll just order a salad.”

“Come on Lara,” Sam chastised. “You don’t go to a fancy restaurant and eat a salad, are you nuts?”

“I’m not hungry.” Lara shrugged.

“You didn’t eat lunch…” Sam stared at her suspiciously then looked at her menu, no prices. She grabbed Lara’s and noticed hers had some. “Oh, I didn’t know there were still restaurants doing that...” She sighed. “You saw the prices, didn’t you?”

Lara nodded. “Yes.”

“Sweetie,” Sam reached out and squeezed Lara’s hand. “It’s on me, please order whatever you like.”

“No, it’s your money I don’t want to…”

“Exactly,” Sam cut her off before Lara could start a rant about saving and whatnot. “What's money for if not spending it on yourself and the people you love?” Her voice cracked a little at the last word but thankfully, Lara didn’t notice.

“But…” Lara started to argue before once again being interrupted.

“Lara, please, I just want to enjoy our evening…”

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Lara sighed. “Fine but next time, it’s on me.”

Sam smiled. “If you insist. I’m always up for a nice evening with my hot roommate.” She winked.

Lara turned bright red. “Sam!”

“What? I love this dress on you.” Sam stopped herself from adding: ‘But I’d like it better on my bedroom floor’ because she didn’t think that kind of pickup line would go well and Lara deserved better than that.

Lara rolled her eyes. “If I recall, you bought it for me.”

“Yup, I have good taste, that’s why I love it.” Once again, Sam fought the need to add ‘And you’ even though she was pretty sure Lara would see it as a friendly comment and not a declaration of love.

Lara shook her head affectionately. “You’re unbelievable, why are we friends again?”

“Because I’m awesome and I buy you food and fashionable clothes.” Sam smiled cheekily.

The Englishwoman chuckled. “Do you have an answer for everything?”

Sam loved the sound of Lara’s laugh. “Pretty much.”

Their banter was interrupted when the waiter approached them. “Are you ladies ready to order?”

“Yes!” Sam answered cheerfully.

The evening went well, they chatted about everything and anything as they always did.

Once they were done, they went to the cinema and Lara insisted on paying for their tickets, even letting her choose the movie. Sam settled for a thriller, a nice excuse to cuddle Lara if she was scared.

They sat at the back of the room and waited for the movie to start. 30 minutes in and Sam had already criticized most of the scenes, including the actors’ performance. She couldn’t believe this rubbish had good reviews. Lara was her usual self, smiling indulgently at her comments. She thought if the roles were reversed, she’d tell herself to shut up but Lara never did, and she loved her for that too.

Finally, after an hour, the story started to kick in and there was blood everywhere. It wasn’t scary, just gory so she hid her face in the crook of Lara’s neck a few times. Only at the end of the movie, Sam realized Lara had her arm around her protectively and it made her heart swell. As the credits rolled and the light came back, she kissed Lara’s neck and straightened on her seat. She noticed the red-ish color on her friend’s face and smiled to herself, she definitely had some impact on Lara.

They left the cinema arm in arm and made their way home.

 

Flowers

A couple of days later, Lara still hadn’t taken any of her hints. It wasn’t a surprise but it meant her best friend was even more oblivious than she had thought. She had been double affectionate; complimenting her every chance she got but so far, her wooing seemed to have gone unnoticed. She needed to step up her game.

Girls liked flowers, well most of them. She knew it was cliché and such a heteronormative bullshit but unless you were invited to dinner or it was someone’s birthday, people usually offered flowers to seduce someone.

Lara had never really been into flowers, unless they were from before our time and related to some ancient deity. Sam couldn’t really buy a bouquet of roses and call it a day, she needed something that would fit Lara’s personality. After some careful research, she had found Lotus flowers were linked to the God Ra and she knew Lara was quite a fan girl of ancient Egypt. Besides, lotus flowers were also called water lilies and she couldn’t make it much gayer than that, even if she wasn’t sure Lara would get the reference. They needed to watch ‘Imagine me and you’, just to make sure Lara would connect the dots.

The next day, Sam bought a cute floral arrangement with lotus flowers in a square vase, she thought it was chic and hoped Lara would like it. She set the vase on the coffee table and went into her room to work on an assignment.

A few hours later, Lara came home with takeaway and they settled on the couch to eat, the tv on for background noise.

It took several minutes for Lara to notice the flowers. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Sam. “A new admirer?”

“No, these are for you actually.”

Lara laughed incredulously. “I think it’s a mistake, I don’t have any admirers.”

Yes, she did but once again, Sam couldn’t get the words out so she chose a matter-of-fact answer instead. “They are from me, actually...”

Lara frowned in confusion. “Why?”

Okay, Sam could test the water. “Because I…” She could do it. “Because you…” She sighed, damn it, where was her no brain to mouth filter when she needed it. “Because…”

“Are you okay?” Lara asked concerned, putting her food on the table before squeezing Sam’s arm.

She was ready to blow chunks but other than that she was pitchy. “Of course I am, sweetie. I just wanted to show you how grateful I am to have you in my life.” Close enough, Sam thought.

Lara smiled shyly. “You didn’t have to…” She trailed off, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

Great, if neither of them could talk, their evening was bound to turn awkward. Sam composed herself and cleared her throat. “They are…”

“Lotus flowers.” Lara finished for her, brushing her finger on a petal. “It is often associated with Atum-Ra… Not a really common flower choice.”

“Because you’re not a common person… You deserve better than roses, so I did some research.” Sam wanted to face-palm herself, way to be smooth Nishimura.

“I… I don’t know what to say. It’s really thoughtful of you. Thank you.” Lara hugged her friend.

“It’s me, Sam, you’re thoughtful friend.” Sam winced internally; she really needed to shut up. “Okay, let’s eat; I don’t want our food to turn cold.”

Thankfully, the rest of the evening went without a hitch but Sam but feel bummed, no matter how many times she tried, the thought of losing Lara would just stop her dead in her tracks.

 

Movie night

Movie night was also a regular thing for them, they would snuggle on the couch and watch a bit of everything. A couple days had passed since the flower debacle and Sam thought it was time to watch one of her favorite gay movies. Two girls having a love at first sight moment, becoming friends, getting closer and falling in love despite fighting the feelings because one of them was taken, that was totally them, well kind of, none of them were taken and she wasn’t sure Lara felt the same but details…

They started the night with a documentary Lara wanted to watch. Sam tried not to comment too much on the editing because she could see her friend was really into it, but it was a struggle.

Once it was over, Sam grabbed the remote and scrolled through Netflix until she found what she wanted and pressed play.

“Imagine me and you?” Lara read on the screen. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“A girl in my class told me about it, I thought we could watch it.” Sam answered before untangling herself. “I have to pee.” She didn’t really need to use the bathroom, she just needed an excuse to put a bit of distance between them if things turned awkward. Lara might not know about her hooks up with girls but they had gay friends, she knew she was cool with that but the movie was about friends having feelings for each other so Lara could see into it.

When Sam came back from the bathroom, she settled on the opposite side of the couch instead of lying next to Lara. Her friend looked at her questioningly but didn’t comment.

As the movie went on, Sam kept glancing at Lara who seemed weirdly engrossed in the story. She didn’t know if it was a good sign or not until the moment when Rachel asked Luce what the lilies meant. She held her breath, staring at the lotus before daring a glance at Lara who had a frown on her face. That was it, she was made, Lara knew and she had to come clean sooner than she thought, what was she supposed to do? Or Say? This movie was a bad idea, even if the whole point was for Lara to take a hint.

Lara looked at her but like the coward she was, Sam quickly looked away. She waited and waited but Lara’s question never came. She didn’t relax until the end of the movie.

Lara cleared her throat. “It was nice…”

“Yeah?” Sam croaked as if her throat was too tighten to talk.

“I do feel bad for Hector, he seems like a nice guy.” Lara commented. “But it’s like you can’t help but root for them.”

“I know.” Sam agreed, finally finding her voice. “But he finds love later with the cute chick from Merlin, so I guess it’s all good.”

“Who?”

“Nevermind,” Sam waved her hand dismissively. “I think you’d pop a vein from how far they drifted from the legend.”

Lara gasped indignantly. “I never do that!”

Sam snorted. “Honey, please, the other day you pointed out the historical inaccuracies on a festival poster.”

“I'd say that’s the pot calling the kettle black.” Lara turned on the couch to face her friend.

Sam nodded. “I do the same with videos and movies but at least I’m honest about it.” This was a safe territory, the easy banter.

“You are unbelievable.” Lara exclaimed with the hint of a smile.

“But I’m right!” Sam smiled proudly.

“If I say yes, will you come back here and put another movie?” Lara lay back on the couch and motioned the spot next to her.

Sam smiled, Lara wanted her to snuggle back, she could definitely do that.

 

Books

Sam didn’t plan on buying a book for Lara, per se, she just happened to need a special reference for an assignment and while looking for it in an old book store, she saw an old Japanese manuscript. What were the odds? It was like a sign, she had to buy it.

She knew Lara told her several times she didn’t need gifts but that girl didn’t know how to treat herself so she was happy to do it for her. Besides, since Lara refused to use her parents’ money, she had left stores without a book she had her eyes on several times and Sam felt bad about it. Money wasn’t an issue for her, and frankly, she would buy a whole library just to make Lara smile. God, when did she become so cheesy, seriously, that was too much of a grand gesture, even for her.

To Sam’s surprise, Lara was already home when she came back which complicated her plan, not that she had one to start with. She thought she would just leave the manuscript on Lara’s desk and wait for her to see it but now that Lara was studying in her room, it would be more difficult.

As Sam was standing in the living room, rummaging through her brain to find a smooth way to offer her gift, she failed to notice Lara coming out of her room.

Lara approached her. “Hey, you’re home. I didn’t hear you announce yourself.”

Sam chuckled nervously; it was too late to hide the gift now. “I didn’t, and even if I did, you don’t always hear me when you’re engrossed in one of your books.” She had taken the habit of calling, ‘Honey I’m home’ or any type of variation every time she stepped inside the flat and even though Lara had found the concept ridiculous at first, Sam was pretty sure she had grown fond of it.

“I know, I’m sorry...” Lara answered sheepishly before looking at the wrapped object in her hands. “Another shopping spree?”

“Yeah, I needed books for an assignment.” Sam glanced at the manuscript before handing it to her friend. “I got you something too.”

“Sam, no, you…” Lara stopped and glanced at the flowers on the coffee table. “You are spoiling me lately and I haven’t done anything to thank you, I’m a terrible friend. It’s too much, I…”

Was Lara still thinking she was doing all this as a friend? Sam had thought Lara connected some dots after the movie but clearly, it wasn’t the case. She grabbed her friend’s hand and put the book in it. “You are an awesome friend. The other day I fell asleep on the couch and you carried me to my bed, I don’t think a terrible friend would do that.” She had stirred as soon as Lara approached her but she pretended to be asleep as Lara carefully gathered her in her arms and carried her to her room. So what? It was nice, sue her. It was only when her back hit the mattress that Sam opened an eye and thanked her friend. “And besides, I don’t do it to have something in return.” Well okay, maybe a chance with her best friend but she was buying her gifts even before she realized her feelings so… “You deserve the best Lara Croft, I hope you can see it one day. In the meantime, I’m happy to help you with that…” Was it too much? Not enough? It had been almost a week since her wooing had started and she kept crossing lines before backtracking.

Lara looked at her with a glimmer in her eyes that she had never seen before. “Sam…” She breathed out. “You don’t know what it means to me… I should do more for you.”

“You’re doing plenty.” Sam squeezed Lara’s shoulder. “Please just open it… and well I hope you’ll enjoy it…”

The Englishwoman unwrapped her gift and smiled, thumbing the cover of the manuscript. “It’s beautiful.”

“So you like it?” Sam scratched behind her neck nervously.

“I love it, thank you.” Lara stepped closer and hugged her friend. “You are the best.”

Sam chuckled. “I know.”

The next couple of days, Lara took a few extra shifts at Nine Bells which made Sam worry she had done too much too fast but when she found a bottle of her favorite wine with a note from Lara saying ‘You deserve the best too.’, she thought maybe she was doing just fine.

 

Little attentions

Not everything Sam had done so far was big. Gifts were nice but she knew a little attention was sometimes more powerful than a present.

So she started doing little things, like putting a few more frames around with pictures of them to show that she cared, making Lara some tea with a box of Jaffa Cakes on the side when she was home before her, leaving cute notes to remind Lara to eat lunch and take breaks…

After one of Lara’s jogs, Sam decided to run her a warm bath so she could relax. She knew this one was definitely not a friendly gesture and by the expression on Lara’s face she was quite confused about it.

“You ran me a bath?” Lara asked as if she hadn’t heard correctly.

“Yes.” Sam stepped closer and tugged at Lara’s shirt. “You’re still cute but you smell.” She booped her friend’s nose.

Lara crinkled her nose. “Thank you for the compliment.” She said sarcastically despite discreetly sniffing her shirt.

“Oh sweetie, I still love you but someone has to keep it real in this house. So remove your sweaty clothes, grab a book, put that rocking body of yours in the water and just relax.” Sam wanted to hide, this wasn’t smooth or romantic at all, why did she had to put her foot in her mouth every time she was nervous.

Lara spluttered something before turning bright red. “Hum, yes thank you.” She said before rushing to her room.

To Sam’s relief, when Lara came out of the bathroom, she simply thanked her and offered to cook them something for dinner. Sam loved her even more for that.

 

Walking her home

They were living together, so it was hard for Sam to pull a “Can I walk you home?” but she was nothing but resourceful.

Despite going to the same University, their schedules were pretty different so if Sam wanted to surprise Lara at the end of her class, she had to choose the right day. She knew her friend had a tutoring lesson that day and since she was around the campus, it was the perfect opportunity.

Sam waited in a café until it was time to surprise Lara. What she hadn’t expected though, was for the rain to start pouring on the only day she decided not to bring a jacket. She had never been lucky with storms... Seeing no sign of brief lull, Sam decided to half jog toward the library. She reached the building entrance drenched but stopped herself from getting in. She couldn’t really go inside looking like a drowned rat. “Great, so much for a surprise.” She growled out loud.

“Sam?”

Sam would recognize that voice anywhere. She turned around and as she expected, Lara was standing there, the girl she was tutoring by her side. “Hey, sweetie!” She smiled. Despite her state, seeing Lara never failed to put a smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Lara scanned her friend’s body, a frown of concern on her face. “And you are soaking wet.”

“I wanted to surprise you but I guess the rain surprised me first.” Sam joked.

“You’re going to catch a cold, here.” Lara shrugged her jacket off and held it so her friend could slide in it.

“Lara no, I don’t want you to get sick.” Sam argued.

“I’m not cold and you’re drenched, just wear it.” Lara answered in a tone that brought no argument.

Sam complied. “Yes Ma’am.” Once she put it on, Lara pulled her closer and rubbed her arm in an attempt to warm her up. She smiled at her softly.

“You must be the girlfriend, I’m Amy.” The blonde woman who was walking with Lara suddenly greeted her.

Sam blinked, surprised by the interruption. She had completely forgotten they weren’t alone. “Sam.” She shook the woman’s hand.

“I asked Lara if she wanted to grab a drink with me and my friends but she said you were waiting for her at home.”

“Hum, no, no we… we’re not…” Lara replied flustered.

“Amy! Hurry up,” A man called from behind them, interrupting the conversation. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Duty calls.” Amy joked. “I have to go but it was nice to meet you. You two have fun tonight.” She winked and rushed to join her friend.

Sam frowned. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know.” Lara pulled Sam closer against her body and led her toward the campus exit. “Let’s go home.”

In the end, Lara ended up walking her home, but Sam was more than fine with that.

 

Matching bracelet

Their weekend getaway was almost there and Sam was looking for one last gift for Lara.

Just like with flowers, Lara wasn’t into jewelry, except if it belonged to a museum. The only piece she wore constantly was her jade necklace. Sam wasn’t really fan of it until Lara told her the story behind it, what it meant to her and since, seeing Lara without it would just feel wrong.

So Sam wasn’t really fond of the idea, at least until her eyes fell on some matching bracelets. Lara had dragged her early before class to a market to check on some antiquity someone told her about. She didn’t really know what it was and it was too early for her to register all the details. Her friend had been sweet enough to buy her coffee so she couldn’t be mad at her, as if she could be mad at a cutie like Lara Croft for long.

While Lara was talking to an old man, probably about whatever they were here for, Sam wandered around and stopped in front of a stand full of jewelry. That was when she saw two thin thread bracelets with a small disc in the middle, one engraved with Together, one with Always. It was discreet and chic, it fitted both of their style and the meaning well, it was some kind of unspoken promise they seemed to have. Maybe it was childish or just very gay, but she didn’t care. She looked at Lara, making sure she was busy before buying them and putting them in her purse.

Later that day, when they were both home and eating dinner at the kitchen table, Sam pulled out the bracelets.

“So while you were busy at the market, I found these and…” Sam saw Lara open her mouth, probably to chastise her for buying yet another gift so she rushed. “Wait, I know you said I should keep my money but really, they cost me nothing.” She held the ‘together’ bracelet in front of Lara, waiting for her to give her hand so she could slide it around her wrist. “I just saw them and I thought, even though we never said it out loud, that it kind of fits our relationship and I know you’re not really into bling, so hum… yeah…” She clapped her mouth shut before her word vomit could get worse and looked at Lara, trying to gauge her reaction as she touched the bracelet almost reverently.

“What does yours say?” Lara asked.

“Always…” Sam answered quietly, showing it to Lara.

Lara took it with a soft smile on her face and grabbed Sam’s hand before sliding it around her wrist. “Here.” She caressed Sam’s hand before letting go.

Sam felt the air shift in the room as the silence settled and Lara locked eyes with her, once again with this weird glimmer in her eyes. Suddenly nervous, she felt the need to speak again. “I know it’s silly, what am I? 8, but…”

“It’s not silly.” Lara said gently, as if it would never cross her mind to think such a thing.

“Yeah?”

“Yes, it’s perfect.” Lara assured her. “I love it, thank you.”

“Cool, great, awesome!” Sam stood up abruptly, wiping her sweating hands on her jeans. “I think we still have some ice cream, how about we take it to the couch and watch a movie?” She grinned.

“Sounds lovely.” Lara said absentmindedly as she stared at her bracelet.

* * *

 

**Part 3: Get the girl?**

Sam was a nervous wreck. It was Friday afternoon and they were supposed to leave for their weekend getaway in less than an hour except she was having second thoughts about everything. She couldn’t lose Lara but she also knew that, for her sake, she had to confess her feelings. It was like a war between her heart and her mind and the arguing in her head was making it impossible to focus on anything.

Lara found her 20 minutes later, standing in front of her suitcase and staring into the void. “Sam?” Lara touched her shoulder gently.

Sam blinked before focusing on Lara. “Hmm?”

“I called you a few times, are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Sam grabbed a shirt in her suitcase, unfolding and refolding it again to keep herself busy.

Lara grabbed her friend’s hands and forced her to turn so she could look at her. “Don’t lie to me just because you don’t want to ruin the weekend.”

“I think you have me confused with someone else.” Sam looked at her pointedly.

“Exactly,” Lara admitted. “It’s usually my thing so don’t.”

Sam arched an eyebrow. “You’re not denying it?”

“Don’t try to change the subject, this is not about me. You look a bit off color, is something wrong?” Lara squeezed her hands in reassurance.

Lara’s concerned about her well-being had always made Sam feel cared for. “I’m fine sweetie, I just have a lot on my mind.” As if she was on autopilot, she moved closer to Lara and engulfed her in a hug. It felt so good and right. She had always felt safe and calm in Lara’s arms.

“Whatever it is, you can talk to me. I’m sure we can figure this out.”

“We?” Sam’s voice croaked.

“Yes.” Lara kissed the top of her head. “Together, Always, remember?”

Sam took a shaky breath, in a poor attempt to stop herself from crying. Why was she so emotional? It was Lara; they would still be best friends no matter what. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So what were you asking when you came in?” Sam questioned as she reluctantly broke the embrace.

“I was asking you if I needed a bathing suit?”

“Probably yes.” Sam looked at her half-finished suitcase and sighed. “I should go get the car”

“You are not driving”. Lara quickly stated.

“What? Yes I am,” Sam answered petulantly. “You don’t even know where we are going!”

“Then tell me.”

“If I tell you, it defeats the purpose of a surprise.” Sam pointed out.

“And if you drive we won’t get to your surprise location at all.” Lara fired back.

Sam gasped “You take that back, Croft!”

Lara chuckled. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ms Nishimura.”

“Sorry your highness,” Sam declared, mimicking Lara’s accent. “But you will have to fight me for the keys.”

“As you wish.” Lara smiled almost predatorily before rushing forward and tackling Sam on the bed.

Sam squealed and wiggled as Lara started tickling her. “Stop it,” She said between laughter. “Lara…”

Lara was laughing with her. “Not so cocky now, princess.” She straddled her friend and in a swift move, she grabbed the keys from Sam’s pocket. “Got it!” She shouted triumphantly.

Sam huffed, her hands instinctively resting on Lara’s thighs. “That’s not fair!”

Lara chuckled at the petulant look on her friend’s face. “All is fair in love and war.”

Sam quickly sobered up, realizing the position they were in. “In love?” She gulped.

“I…” Lara glanced at their bodies and a look of panic crossed her face. She quickly stumbled off the bed and averted her eyes. “I… I should go get the car, I’m done packing.” She said before rushing out of the room.

Sam puffed a long breath of air. “Shit… What the fuck just happened?”

* * *

 

After Sam revealed the location they were going to, Lara ended up driving. The trip was made in awkward silence, it was clear something had switched between them after what had happened in her room. Sam wanted to say something, to make the tension go away but couldn’t come up with anything.

They arrived at their hotel in the evening and after dropping off their luggage and taking a shower, the tension had started to ease.

“So what do you want to do now?” Lara asked as she sat on her bed.

“We could grab something to eat downstairs and…” Sam grabbed a flyer from the nightstand. “Look, they have a party in the reception room tonight.”

“I’m not really in a mood for a party.” Lara answered.

Sam wasn’t really in a mood either, which said something, but if she stayed in the room one more minute, she was going to explode and open Pandora’s box, to hell with the consequences. But she just wanted one more day before confessing. “Come on, I want to dance.”

“You can go without me if you want, I won’t get upset. I can just read.” Lara stood up and walked to her suitcase to retrieve her book.

“No!” Sam said a bit too forcefully, surprising Lara and herself with her outburst. “I mean, I’m here to spend time with you, it’s our weekend.”

“We live together; it’s not like we don’t already spend most of our free time together…”

“It’s not what I meant…” Was Lara fed up of her? Sam sighed wearily. “Please, can we at least check it out? If it sucks, we’ll come back here and watch movies.”

Lara sighed, running her fingers through her ponytail. “Alright.”

After dinner, Sam and Lara made their way to the reception room. The place was filled with fancy middle-aged couples and the band was playing a soft ballroom music, definitely not what Sam expected.

“I wasn’t expecting that.” Lara whispered next to her.

“Makes two of us…” Sam scanned the room in search of the bar. “I need a drink. Go find us a table.”

Lara seemed surprised. “You don’t want to go back to our room?”

Sam shrugged. “Now that we’re here, we can at least grab a drink.” She didn’t wait for Lara to answer and made her way to the bar.

They sat at a table for an hour, enjoying their drinks and watching the couples around them dance. Sam tried to ask Lara to dance but she refused so she kept sipping her wine in silence.

After a while, a man came to their table. He was tall and clearly younger than most of the attendance. “Does one of you ladies want to dance?” Sam glanced at Lara who not surprisingly shook her head no. “And you?” The man turned his attention toward Sam.

“Hum, I don’t want to leave my friend alone, but thank you.” Sam refused politely.

“No, it’s okay, go.” Lara assured her.

“What?”

“I can see you want to dance, so go.” The English woman repeated.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Lara insisted.

The man offered his hand and Sam accepted it, following him to the dance floor. They started a waltz, something her father insisted a proper Lady had to master. To Sam’s relief, her dance partner was pretty good and not handsy, like some dudes in her dance lesson class used to be.

“My name is Callum by the way, what is yours?” The man asked.

“Samantha… Sam.”

“Nice to meet you Sam.” Callum smiled. “Now, what two ladies like you are doing in this town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“We just needed a weekend away from the big city.” Sam kept her answer short, this stranger didn’t need to know about her messed up life or more precisely love life.

“Mhh” Callum hummed in understanding. “Far from me to be rude but, your accent… American or Canadian?”

“I’m a Yankee.” Sam chuckled.

Callum laughed. “That would explain it then.”

The song stopped and Sam stepped away from him. She quickly glanced in Lara’s direction and saw her talking with an old lady. Well talking wasn’t the right word, she was nodding along, clearly too polite to ask her to leave.

“I see your friend is busy, would you mind another dance?” Callum asked.

Sam looked at Lara once again, trying to get her attention but when it didn’t work out, she turned toward her partner and forced a smile. “I guess.” Lara was clearly in a sore mood since they arrived so maybe it was a good thing to give her space.

“How old are you, Samantha?”

“It’s just Sam. And can we just dance?”

Callum looked surprised by the rebuttal but nodded. “Oh, of course.”

After two more dances though, Sam decided it was enough. “Thank you for the dance.”

“Thank you,” Callum replied. “It was nice to dance with someone who isn’t my grandmother’s age.”

Sam chuckled. “I bet.”

“Would you care for a drink?” Callum grabbed her hand.

“Hum…” Sam looked at her table and frowned when she didn’t see Lara there. She pulled her hand back and took a step backward. She was definitely not in the mood for this, she just wanted to dance, preferably with Lara and she would have stayed with her if Lara hadn’t insisted. “Thank you for the offer but I’m gonna go back to my friend now.”

“She left your table so I don’t think she would mind.” The man insisted.

“But I would.” Sam smiled politely and started making her way to the table.

Callum grabbed her wrist lightly. “Please, Samantha.”

“Her name is Sam.” Lara suddenly appeared at her side, wrapping her arm around Sam’s waist. “And she said no.”

“I can buy you a drink too.”

“No.” Lara turned toward Sam. “Do you want to go back to our room?”

“Let me finish my drink and…” Sam started before being interrupted by the man.

“I…”

Lara growled. “Could you please just get lost?” She looked at Callum sternly.

“Lara!” Sam exclaimed, trying not to laugh at Callum’s shocked face. She had never heard Lara being purposely rude before but she had to admit, it was quite amusing to watch.

“I don’t think she wants me to leave.” The tall man bristled.

“Yes, I do,” Sam assured him. “I’ve been trying to excuse myself for the past ten minutes.”

“But…”

“Bugger off, mate!” Lara told him before grabbing Sam’s hands and starting slow dancing awkwardly, probably to push people around them to stop looking and resume their dancing.

“Oh my god, that was awesome.” Sam declared, enjoying the closeness with Lara.

“Shut up!” Lara groaned, hiding her face in Sam’s neck as she kept swaying.

"You know, you are incredibly attractive when you are rude to men too dense to see I am not into them," Sam giggled, wrapping her arms around her partner as she whispered in her ear. "And you are a much sexier dance partner."

Lara stopped abruptly. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Yes, god, finally!” Sam exclaimed. “Well no.”

The Englishwoman frowned in confusion. “Yes or no?”

“Yes I’m flirting, but it’s more like wooing?” It came out as a question, it was a new territory for Sam too. “You’ve been oblivious to everything so I was starting to think you were ignoring it to not make things awkward.”

“I just thought you were being nice.”

“By telling you you have a great ass?” Sam replied incredulously.

“Well, no, but I…” Lara scratched her neck and looked around the room, as if she was searching for the right words or the strength to confess something. “Well I didn’t want it to be wishful thinking, and then you started dancing with him…”

“You asked me to!” Sam countered.

“I know!” Lara answered. “But after this past two weeks, seeing you talk to this bloke made me angry and…”

“Wait, wait wait, what?” Sam interrupted her.

“What?”

Sam started to smile. “So you noticed?”

Lara rolled her eyes. “I’m not that oblivious.”

“When did you realize it?” Sam questioned, a smile still on her face. That was it, the cat was out of the bag and it looked like she wasn’t the only one with feelings.

“The movie, hum, when the florist talked about the lilies? I saw you glance at the lotus flowers and I thought maybe… so I started paying attention.” Lara explained.

“So, wait, does it mean you…” Sam needed to make sure. “Hum… You’re, hum interested? Like, I mean, you like me like me?” Sam wanted to face palm, what was she, four?

Lara scanned the room full of people and moved awkwardly. “Can we not discuss this here?”

Sam nodded “Our room, now.” She stated before realizing what she said. “No, that came out wrong, I mean…”

“I know,” Lara smiled reassuringly. She seemed to hesitate before offering her hand. Sam took it and interlaced their fingers with a sigh of relief.

* * *

 

Once they reached the room, Lara let go of her hand and sat on the bed. “So…”

“I love you.” Sam blurted out, her back leaning against the door. “And I don’t mean this in a sisterly way or in a friendly way, well yes you’re my best friend but I mean, I am in love with you, in a very very gay way.” Lara laughed and she smiled but she couldn’t stop the words for coming out. “I have been for a while now, and it feels so right, you know? Like it was the path we were supposed to take all along but were too oblivious to see it? It came so naturally. I swear I tried to fight it but you are so… so you, you are amazing and you don’t even know it, how can I not fall in love with you, Lara Croft? And…”

Lara stood up and pulled Sam closer in a swift move before kissing her, interrupting Sam’s rant.

Sam closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. Lara’s lips were so soft and everything felt so right. She slid her hand behind Lara’s neck and deepened the kiss. As a moan escaped her, Lara broke the kiss.

“I love you too.” Lara breathed out, resting her forehead against Sam’s. “I am in love with you.”

Sam pulled away slightly to look at her. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?” Lara fired back.

Sam pecked Lara’s lips before saying “I asked first.”

Lara chuckled. “I was confused. Then I did a lot of soul searching and realized I was gay.”

Sam snorted despite herself. “I could have told you that.”

“What?” The Englishwoman frowned.

“Nothing,” Sam shook her head. “Continue.”

“I have to admit I was oblivious at first, I didn’t understand why I was so upset when you would come home with someone. Then you stopped flirting with people and started flirting with me and I thought, I want your attention, I want to be with you… But I was scared…” Lara confessed.

“I was scared too but I’m not anymore. I want to be with you, if you’ll have me.” Sam bit her lip.

“I do.” Lara leaned closer and kissed Sam again.

As she felt her heart burst with happiness, Sam couldn’t help but think wooing wasn’t so hard after all, especially when it was with the right one…

 

 


End file.
